The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by the Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) for the past 41 years to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports and signifies "the best of the best in collegiate athletics". The winner of the sport award becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the prestigious 2017 Honda Cup which will be presented on a live telecast on CBS Sports Network on Monday, June 26, 2017, in downtown Los Angeles.

The nominees were chosen by a panel of coaches representing the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). The Honda Sport award winner for volleyball will be announced next week after voting by administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Each NCAA member institution has a vote.

Honda Sport award winners will be presented with the honor during on-campus presentations throughout the year, and all Honda Sport award winners become a finalist for the prestigious 2017 Honda Cup award presented in June.

Nwanebu is a two-time First Team All-American and was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team, the Austin Regional Most Valuable Player and an All-Big 12 First Team selection in her first season with the Longhorns. She finished with 423 kills (3.74/set), hitting a team-high .379 and 477.5 points in 30 matches.

Nwanebu is the seventh Texas player to be a finalist for the 10th time in the program's history. Sally Schlobohm won the award in 1981.